The Last Case of Benedict Fox review

I’ve been looking forward to play The Last Case of Benedict Fox ever since it was announced. The art style, the MetroidVania elements, the story. It all looked intriguing, and I’m a sucker for sides-scrolling titles like Hollow Knight and Flashback. Plot Twist has managed to craft a solid adventure game that takes many twists and turns, relishing in its Lovecraftian inspiration, throwing some complex puzzles and layered traversal that sometimes doesn’t always land. Despite some unresponsive jumping and combat that feels like an afterthought, there’s still plenty to get caught up in.

Benedict Fox is a detective bound together with a demon, investigating the death of his father. You’ll split your time investigating the home in which he died as well as exploring an alternate world known as Limbo. There are many clues to be found, with certain items helpful in solving puzzles and unlocking new paths, and it all comes together nicely. The puzzles can range from finding a set of keys to uncovering layered codes through ancient and supernatural texts, with many of them taking some time to work out. There’s a great sense of satisfaction when completing these puzzles, though, and it’s something that makes your adventure more exciting.

Throughout Limbo, you’ll encounter a range of monsters that require you to wipe them out. By using melee attacks, you’ll then be able to use your pistol, but it feels unbalanced. Enemies are also pretty repetitive to kill, and if you don’t parry at the correct moment, your life will start to deplete pretty quickly. I never relished a battle, always hoping the exploration would be my primary focus, but these fights are littered across Limbo. By defeating them, you’ll earn Ink that can be used to upgrade certain abilities back at the mansion, as long as you regularly deposit it at certain portals or else you’ll lose it upon death,

Traversal is pretty standard. To get to higher platforms or across chasms, you can double jump (and later triple jump), but doing so can be unresponsive. Your demonic friend with shoot a tether to certain areas which allows you to jump more than once, but I found it didn’t always connect and I’d have to repeat the process again. It becomes second nature to keep an eye out on a purple spot on higher platforms as that indicates you’ll reach it, but the option should always be there. Pressing jump twice and only performing a solitary hop does become frustrating.

The art style is gorgeous in The Last Case of Benedict Fox. The mysterious Limbo is filled with occult inspiration, occasionally filled with a familiar object from the mansion like a bed or a sofa, reminding you that these two words are connected. Rivers of purple ooze, messed up versions of rooms from the mansion, runic symbols, and other odd goings on fill up the world between worlds, and I did enjoy uncovering a new area. Sometimes it becomes tough to locate a new area as certain paths aren’t as clear as they could be, but generally I didn’t struggle too much in knowing where to go.

I found the story of The Last Case of Benedict Fox rather interesting for the majority, with new characters coming along and helping to create more threads to the narrative. It’s early 20th century soundtrack adds an eeriness to it, much like it did with titles like Bioshock. Its sound design is pretty fantastic in general, helping to build the atmosphere and provide some horror elements akin to the likes seen in those old Goosebumps books from your childhood.

There’s plenty to like about The Last Case of Benedict Fox, with a strong story and a wonderful art style. Some of the puzzles are tough yet ultimately satisfying, and the risk and reward of knowing whether to drop your Ink into portals or push on keeps you on your toes. Combat feels unrewarding and repetitive, and sometimes the traversal can be unresponsive, but ultimately, Plot Twist has delivered an engaging adventure that draws you in from the start.